Hope That Lingers
by C10Books
Summary: Griff was not always alone, but now that he thinks he is, he could get into a lot of trouble. rated T to be safe
1. Chapter 1

**AN~ Hey guys! This is my FIRST EVER fanfiction so please tell me if you like it, and I appreciate any constructive criticism. Bonanza was one of my favorite shows, and I especially loved Griff King in the fourteenth season. I was so sad that he was only there for half of a season **** there isn't much fanfiction written for Griff, so I decided to write my first one about him. I will have one OC, please tell my if you like her. Thanks~ Claire**

**Hope That Lingers **

** "Lissa? What are you doing out here, you have to leave! He'll hurt you if he sees you talking to me."**

** "Griff, what's happening? I'm scared!"**

** "Go inside now Lissa, hurry! I think I hear him coming." The young, lanky teenager pushed the younger girl into the house. **

** "Griff? What are you doing? Come with me! Please!" The girl clung to Griff's hand. **

** "No Lissa. Listen to me now, he ain't gonna hurt you no more, honest. Now go!" Griff pushed Lissa into the small shack, and began to close the door, but the frightened girl shoved it open again, and wrapped her arms around her protector's waist. **

** "I love you Griff, please don't get hurt!" The child raised her big grey eyes to look directly into the soft grey ones above her. **

** "Can't promise that Honey. Go on now, I love you." The boy had just shut the door for the last time, when a tall figure staggered into the yard. He was obviously drunk, and he leered at the raven haired boy standing frozen on the steps. **

** "What you doin' boy? You was supposed to be gettin a job."**

** "I-I tried, s-sir, but there ain't many jobs open for a fifteen year old." Griff's voice quavered, but steadily grew stronger. "Especially when you tell everyone that I'm a no-good, lazy kid who is always inta trouble." The boy's face darkened with suppressed rage. **

** "Don't you talk to me like that! I'll show you, yeah, I'll show him who's boss." The last few words were spoken in a drunken mumble. The man began to advance on Griff, but suddenly his face contorted and he threw up. Griff watched in disgust as the man emptied the meager contents of his stomach. **

** "No good drunk, you go around spreadin rumors that I'M messed up. Well you a liar as well! You've come home every night, drunk. Stumbling around, saying that I should get a job, that I should clean up the yard, house. Why haven't I done this? And that, I should be responsible. Then the next minute you ranting about everythin that I can't do. I'm the reason momma died, the reason the house is fallin apart, the reason Lissa is sick. Stay away from her, you say. You'll ruin her. Well why haven't you gotten her a doctor? Huh? It's not my fault, it's yours! It's all your fault! You killed momma, you wrecked the house! Well let me say something now: Lissa and I are leaving. We aint never comin back. So make your own money. I'm outta here!" Griff stood panting. He'd gone and done it. He'd exploded; he knew that he would have to leave, he'd find Lissa a doctor that would hopefully feel pity for the two children. Well, one child; Griff couldn't pretend to be a kid any longer. It was time to grow up. **

**Griff slowly turned from the enraged man and walked back toward the ramshackle house, but he was struck down. He rolled over onto his back, moaning in pain to see his step-father standing over him, with a raised pick-axe. **

"**You ain't goin nowhere, but to Hell!"**

**The famous words that Griff would remember for the remainder of his life. The rest of the night passed in a blur, and before he knew it, Griff was in jail. He got a message, one year into his ten year sentence. Lissa had died. Griff didn't care anymore. He used to spend hours a day, planning revenge, planning escape, planning his sister's rescue. None of that mattered anymore. She was dead, and so was any hope. **


	2. Chapter 2

**AN~ Hey guys, sorry that the last chapter was kinda short, and in bold. I hope that the following chapters will be longer. Thanks for reading! **

**Hope That Lingers- Chapter 2 **

_4 years into Griff's prison sentence-The Riot_

"Come on! Move 'im out." The stout prison guard shouted at two of the convicts as they carried a weak older prisoner out of a dark, menacing sweat box. The two cons, both raggedly dressed, gently laid their comrade on a dirty, bug infested blanket on the ground. The younger of the two, about nineteen years old, shook angrily as he examined the dying man.

"They 'bout killed him!" The boy stood abruptly.

"What did you say?" the guard, almost eager for a chance to get one of the cons in trouble. He brandished his gun wildly.

"I said he's dying." The teenager's friend, a middle age man, spoke up.

The guard transferred his glare from the curly haired kid to the other man. "Cooper," he growled, "you said I killed him!"

"Maybe I did," Cooper looked nonchalantly at the guard.

"You never learn do you." It was spoken as a statement, not a question; the guard growled in excitement, "Well, maybe a few days in the Hellbox will cure you of your tongue." The guard once more turned to the boy, "You can join him," The vile man barked.

Cooper started forward, "Griff didn't do anything!"

"Silence! Five days, I hope you'll enjoy them." Hizer, for that was the man's name, began to shove the cons toward the Hellbox, a damp, pitch dark, awfully hot, cell. However, luck was on the prisoner's side, for the prison inspection was just beginning. Hizer reluctantly shoved the men towards the tiny kitchen and gave them the only fresh food there was. Cooper and Griff set to work making the ever famous, Inspection Stew. While they worked, Cooper began to lecture.

"What were you thinking? That mouth of yours could get you killed, not to mention ruin the whole plan we've worked on for months! Just because _you_ don't care if you live or die, doesn't mean you should ruin the chances for the rest of us." The second year Griff had been at the Nevada State Prison, he had received a message. He didn't tell anyone what it said, but it must've been terrible. Griff had lost the will to live. He ran his mouth a lot, challenged the guards, but did everything he could to help the other prisoners, no matter what the cost. Most of the prison guards would love to see the convicts die, Griff did everything he could to prevent it. Cooper was puzzled, this could be their chance to survive, and Griff almost compromised the whole thing. He watched the teenager angrily chop vegetables and meat, he was silent.

Suddenly, Cooper heard voices; the men coming for the inspection were here.

**Back at the Ponderosa**

Jamie had just arrived home from school; he was in the barn, tending to his horse when he heard a girl calling his name.

"Jamie! Ah, there you are. You left your spelling book on the desk. I volunteered to bring it to you." A pretty young girl with long wavy black hair entered the barn. She held out a thin book to Jamie.

"Thanks Al, though I might've preferred to leave it there." Jamie ruefully accepted the spelling book.

"The teacher thought you left it there on purpose, but I said no way, Jamie Cartwright would never do such a thing, he has a high respect for education."

"Oh really," Jamie laughed, "What did you really say?"

"Probably." Al smiled back at her friend.

Jamie shook his head, "I don't suppose you'd like to come in and ask Hop Sing for something to eat?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

The two teenagers hurried inside to eat, the spelling book lay forgotten again on the stable floor. Once inside, Al and Jamie called out for Hop Sing.

"Miss. Alissa, Hop Sing happy to see you, much better manners than boys."

The fifteen year old laughed, "thank you Hop Sing, it's nice to see you too." The Chinese cook gave the hungry kids a plate of cookies and retreated into the kitchen. "So Jamie, where's your pa and Joe? The place seems deserted."

"Joe's probably in Virginia City, Pa's doing a prison inspection. I'm not sure when they'll be back. Hey, what's wrong?" His friend's face had suddenly turned white when he mentioned the prison.

"Uh, nothing, nothing." She shook her head, as if she was shaking away a bad memory. At Jamie's questioning look she said, "really, I just know someone who's in there. That's all."

"In prison? Who?"

"My brother…"

**Reviews:**

**Quwelli: **thank you for your advice! Don't worry; you have not seen the last of Griff in jail, unfortunately for him.

**AureaD: **thank you, I'm very glad you liked it!


	3. Chapter 3

**AN- Hey guys, thanks for reading my story! I'm not sure how long this story will continue, depends on me I guess :) Sorry that it's been so long since I updated. School has been HECTIC! Hope you like this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I haven't done this because I didn't think it was necessary. I mean, if I owned Bonanza, this fanfiction would be a reality. **

Chapter 3

"Your WHAT?" Jamie looked stunned.

Alissa flinched, "Look…"

"I thought you didn't have any family. That's why you were living with Mrs. Griggs."

"Jamie, he's in prison, I couldn't live with him. Besides, the only other family I have is my stepfather, and I sure hope I never see him again." Al looked down at her plate, waiting for Jamie to say something.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"That I had a relative in prison." She looked skeptically at her friend.

"Well, I guess that sound kinda bad. When were you gonna tell somebody?"

"I told Mrs. Griggs, about my brother, not my stepfather. She understands, kinda, it's not my fault he's in prison. Besides, telling people you have someone you love in prison, isn't exactly a great conversation starter, it's more like a conversation ender."

"Yeah, I can see that." The two sat in silence for a while before Jamie spoke again. "Look you don't have to answer this, but what did your brother do to land himself in jail?"

The girl sat in silence for a few minutes, making her friend squirm. "It was four years ago. I was really sick when I was young, we never really knew what it was. My step-dad didn't call for a doctor, he didn't care. The illness came and went, I never attended school, my brother did though, and he taught me everything he learned."

She was silent again, and Jamie took it as his cue, "So, what happened?"

"Sorry, it was after he came home from school, I was ten. My step-dad didn't want me talking to my brother. It was just another way to torture him."

"Who?"

Al, looked exasperatedly at her friend, "my dog, genius. My brother, have you been paying attention?"

Jamie winced, "sorry."

"Anyway, one night, he stayed late at school. Our step-dad was at a saloon, so I thought it would be safe to wait outside for my brother, just to clarify." She looked at Jamie, he rolled his eyes. "Anyway, when he came home, he had just enough time to get me inside before our step-father came home. He was a drunk, as usual, he warned my brother not to get near me, and well…" she fell silent, lost in memories. "My brother exploded, ranting on and on about how much he hated living with him, and how he was going to take me and run away to find a doctor."

"He turned away for just a second; our step-dad grabbed a pick-axe and hit him with it. The handle, I mean. My brother was so angry, he wrested the axe from his hand, and started beating the awful man with the handle. The screams brought people running. My brother was taken away, and I was forgotten about. My step-dad came home two days later, covered in bandages. I had taken a turn for the worse, half conscious, too sick to get up. I was sick like that for months, my brother wasn't there to take care of me, so I never got better. "

"That's awful," Jamie whispered in horror, "how'd you get away?"

"One day, when he was at some saloon, I forced myself to get up. I had been gaining strength slowly, day by day. I was still weak, but I had to get out of there. It had been almost a year since the incident. I grabbed what food I could carry, and left. I wandered for days, the food ran out too quickly. My fever had returned, and I spent most days, lying in any shade I could find. Finally, I stumbled into Virginia City, I'm still not sure how long I was wandering for. The doctor found me, and well, you know the rest." Al sat nervously, eyes fixated on the untouched plate of cookies in front of her.

"Oh, Al." Jamie was lost for words.

The girl couldn't stand the silence any longer, "I should go." She ran out of the house, leaving her friend still sitting at the table.

**Sorry there wasn't any Griff in it. Also that it's kinda short I just really wanted to finish this. Anyway, please tell me what you think!**

**Reviews:**

**AureaD- Don't worry, they'll be reunited soon enough! ;) **

**Quwell- Thank you so much! The letter will be explained, hopefully in a few chapters.**

**Mart- Thank you! Glad you liked it!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN- hey, guys! I'm back! School is finally finished for me, so I hope to be able to update more frequently! This chapter will be mostly be **_**The Riot**_**. Hope you like it!**

Hizer entered the warden's office, "are you ready, gentlemen?" the three men sitting around the table stood, leaving the warden sitting by himself. On the way out the door, Hizer gave them a warning, "you won't like what you see, too many prisoners, not enough space, and no money to do anything about it."

"Maybe we can do something about that," Ben Cartwright spoke up, pushing his way through the other men to stand beside the guard.

"I can give you two ideas, more guards, better pay. Listen up," they stopped right outside the entrance to the prison area. "You can speak to whoever you like, say anything you want to any prisoners, but, there are two rules: stay close to me at all times, and don't get within arm's length of any of the prisoners."

"Sounds more like caging animals than men." Ben said.

"That's close." Hizer said, bringing Ben to a halt, right in the doorway. He looked incredulously at the guard, before continuing onward. They stopped before a large barred door. "This is the lion cage, except our lions make their own claws. We do bed and body checks two or three times a week." Hizer stepped to the side and grabbed a small knife, to hand to Ben.

"We found this one this morning, but for every one we find, there's a dozen or more we don't."

Ben turned to the other two inspectors and gently tapped his finger on the tip of the knife, withdrawing it quickly, when he felt the sharp tip. He looked worried. The other men reached out to touch it too. Then they all regarded the lion pen with a bit more trepidation than before.

_The Kitchens:_

A prisoner shook his head at the inspection stew that Cooper was making, disgusted that they had to hide their real food. He then walked over to Griff, who handed him a platter of meat. Just then, Hizer, another guard, and the inspectors entered the small kitchen. The prisoners kept their heads down, ignoring the free men.

Hizer gestured toward Cartwright, "Man from the governor's office, to what he says, get a raise in your salary." The other guard laughed in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Ben approached the closest table, he picked up a few vegetables in a basket, "Nice fresh vegetables," he said approvingly. He headed over to where Cooper was making the stew, sniffing the air. Griff hurriedly dried a spoon and handed it to the older man. "Thank you." He gave the con a once over, a bit surprised at his politeness, before turning back to the stew. He stirred it around, scooping up each vegetable. "Carrots, potatoes, beef," he sniffed it. "Smells good."

Griff spoke up, "Inspection Stew, that's what I call it." He said bitterly.

Ben furrowed his brow as he looked at the young prisoner.

"I've eaten the food many times, not fancy, but good." Another one of the inspectors, a balding, slightly small man spoke up.

"Try some Mr. Cartwright?" the cook offered.

"Thank you," Ben said, dipping the spoon into the warm stew.

"My names Cooper," the con continued, "You don't know me, but I seen you in Virginia City.

Ben nodded, not surprised, everybody knew him. "Mmm, you're a very good cook."

"Oughta be, I've had plenty of practice, six years, nineteen left to go. While Cooper conversed with the elder man, Griff slipped behind the guards and stuffed pieces of meat into the lock. He then quickly returned to his station. Ben let the other men try the stew, and walked over to Griff's table. As he was looking over the meat, Griff 'accidently' tipped a bag of rotten potatoes onto the ground.

Ben stooped to pick them up, and stopped short; he opened the bag wider, and looked concernedly at rotten food. Then he opened another bag, tipping the contents into a bowl. He picked it up, and showed it to the balding man, "Rotten potatoes, weevil in flour." He shook his head.

"Ben, there sure ain't nothing wrong with this stew," the other inspector, a short man with a black mustache gestured to the Inspection Stew.

"Waste probably, happens in every kitchen," the balding man seemed quick to cover up the awful food.

Hizer looked panicky, "garbage, we would've gotten rid of it, but the inspection got in the way. Now, would you like to see the rest of the place?" he was eager to get them out of the kitchen.

The men left through a side door and entered the lion cage. Griff and Cooper followed, wheeling a cart with meat and a bucket of water. Up ahead, Mr. Cartwright stopped at a man sitting on the ground, shirt off, displaying horrible whip marks.

"If you're wondering about those marks, they're not our work." Hizer spoke up. However, the man looked at Ben, and slowly shook his head. They moved on down the line, but Ben hurried over to the Hellbox.

"What's this?"

"A cell."

However, one of the prisoners yelled across the pen, "It's a Hellbox mister! 48 hours in there, and your DEAD!"

Hiser gestured with his stick, "Loudmouth, we gotta lot of those in here." Ben didn't look convinced though, and he took a look inside. His face was grave, when he emerged. They were all interrupted when a line of prisoners, held together with chains, walked into the Lion's Pen.

"Not enough guards, that's why we have to move the work gangs in and out one at a time. They all stumbled in, holding their chains. The men in the middle bunched together,

"When Cooper says go, get ready," one of the men on the chain whispered. Cooper was still handing out food. Meanwhile, Cartwright was bending over a sick man, arguing with Hizer about a doctor.

"It's a prison, doctor only comes twice a week, from what they tell me, that's all they can afford." Hizer told them.

"Well, we are going to change that."

"You're right about that." The balding man offered his support

"We've tried Ben, two or three times!" the man with the black mustached looked sympathetically at the man on the ground.

The chain gang was busy threading their chains through the loops, so that their hands would be free to hold their meal. Just as they finished, Cooper yelled, "NOW!"

The prisoners grabbed their chains, and used them to take guards out of commission. The inspectors were attacked next, tackled to the ground. Two guards outside the kitchen rushed in and looked through the door. 

"Lock the door in the kitchen!" one yelled, just as he tried to do that, one of the guards was tackled by enraged prisoners. The other tried to shut the door, that connected an office to the kitchen, but the meat stuffed in the lock served its purpose. However, the guard escaped, and locked the door to the office, trapping everyone inside.

**AN- thanks for reading! Please review, it motivates me to update faster! **

Reviews:

jolana: Thank you for your support, I hope I will be able to update tomorrow!

AureaD: don't worry, it will! :D


	5. Chapter 5

**AN- Yay! I updated quickly! Hope y'all are liking the story so far, I am not going to do much of the jail scene, because I still have a lot of ground to cover. If you want the whole story watch the episode **_**The Riot. **_**It's on YouTube if you don't have the seasons at home. Enjoy!**

One of the prisoners stood right by the locked door, looking out the tiny window. The others sat in the Lion's cage, waiting for orders from Cooper. Johnny Plank, one of the more dangerous con men, started making trouble. He had tried to attack Ben Cartwright because he was the one who put him in jail. He wanted to escape, but Cooper refused, only thinking about the needs of the other prisoners.

Plank yelled out, furious, to the other cons, "It's all about you huh? Guns, horses, freedom, for you and your friends! BUT WHAT ABOUT US!" Cooper looked contemptibly down at Plank. He then ordered a table set up in the Lion's Cage, where everyone could hear what he was going to say.

"Four inspections in six years, and you're the only person who ever bothered to look in the corners. If our demands are reasonable, you can sign them, and show them to the governor. We all got a load of years on our backs, most of us can't hope to live long enough to see outside these walls."

"What do you expect of me?"

"Just no lies." With that, Cooper sat down, and began to list everything he could think of.

_Warden's office_

Joe and Candy had heard of the prison riot, and had run down to the warden's office as soon as possible, they sat there, mulling over every idea they could think of to get the hostages out alive. They were staring at a small version of the prison. Mr. Callhoun, one of the better guards, spoke up, pointing to a small area of the prison.

"The convicts are loose in here, in the main cell, in the kitchen, and in the guard room. Now this door, three inch plank, is the cork in the bottle." He pointed to the outer door in the guard room. "There are sliding iron doors that lock on both sides and both sides are locked. There's no way they can get out, and no way we can get in." they all sat in silence.

_The Lion's Cage_

Cooper held a piece of paper in his hands, "quiet down!" he yelled at the guards, "I said quiet! Where's Griff?" The latter emerged from the back of the group. "Where've you been?"

"I don know, I was tryin to get…" Cooper cut him off.

"Oh yeah," Cooper realized what he was trying to say. "Donovan," he said, turning back to Ben, "six days in that hellbox, sick. No doctor."

"I told you, I'll tell the governor there should be a doctor here all the time."

"Well don't hurry, he's not hurtin now!" Griff stalked over to Mr. Cartwright, anger plastered all over his face.

"What?" Cooper interjected.

"He's dead." All of the cons muttered, groaned, and shook their heads.

"Griff," Cooper thrust a chair at the boy, "Sit down, do some writing. Write, 'to the governor, demands from the prisoners, in cell block #2. No more hellbox, No more whipping." The convicts clapped voiced their approval.

"We want our letters, and permission to write at least one letter a month."

"What? You don't get your mail here?" Ben was shocked at the injustice.

"Oh, it comes here, but we don't see it."

Griff was writing as fast as he could, he was one of the only literate people in cell block 2. Due to his schooling when he was younger. He shook his head, no use thinking about the past. He'd given up hope when he heard that his sister had died, now it was lingering in the back of his mind, a chance to survive.

Cooper continued, "We want some soap, and a place to wash our clothes, and we want blankets, clean blankets, that don't stink." The con men cheered.

"And write down food, we want the food that the state pays for and we never get."

"You're saying someone's stealing the ration money?"

"I ain't sayin it, but I'll prove it." A prisoner brought in Hizer. "Alright Hizer, tell us who supplies the food, unless you want a taste of your own whip."

"Fine, I buy the food."

"From who?"

"Vanamen."

Ben's eyes widened, Vanamen was one of the inspectors. That's why he was so quick to say that the food was waste.

Cooper was furious, "Bring in the rat."

Two prisoners dragged the balding man from the hellbox, and stood him before Cooper, where he admitted to selling the food to Hizer.

"Hey Cooper," the con at the door yelled, "There's someone out here."

Cooper snatched up Griff's letter, and marched over to the door, where Joe and Calhoun were standing. He slipped the letter through the bars on the tiny window and demanded that they be shown to the governor.

"… might take a while, last I heard, the governor was in Virginia City." Calhoun said.

Then Joe spoke up, "We won't do anything till we see that the prisoners are alive."

Cooper brought Ben to the door. "I'm alright; everyone's alright, just do as they say." Then he was yanked away.

**AN- I know I said that I wasn't going to do a lot of prison scenes, but I felt that this was important. Please R&amp;R! It makes me happy!**

Reviews:

AureaD- I'm going to try and skim over some stuff, I hope he'll be free in about two chapters. Maybe one.

jolana- Thank you, I'm eager for them to be re-united too.


	6. Chapter 6

**OHH, I know you all probably hate me now. I'm so sorry I haven't updated, and I really have no excuse. So, I won't make you wait any longer. Here's the next chapter, please review!**

_The Lions Cage_

Ben Cartwright wearily took a seat at the table in a small room outside the Lions Cage. He put his head in his hands and sighed. Griff had been watching the door and noticed the older man's face dripping with sweat.

"You want a drink?"

Ben slowly lifted his head up, somewhat astonished that the con man was being nice. "Yeah."

Griff walked over to a water barrel and dipped a ladle in, "When, I get scared, my throats like cotton."

"So's mine." Ben said gratefully, sipping out of the ladle. "Thank you." He looked up as Cooper walked in.

"Now you begin to see what I mean." He said, taking a seat.

"Things will be changed." Ben said grimly

"You mean that? Me, and a lot of men in here deserve what we got, but Griff, he's different. What do you thing another four years in this place is gonna do to him, huh?" He looked over at the boy, "Hey Griff, tell the man what you're in here for."

"Hammered a man with a pick-handle," he took no joy in saying it. "I might've killed him, but I got stopped."

Ben's face was creased in disapproval, he still couldn't see why Griff didn't belong in prison.

Griff saw the look and explained, "My step-dad, he liked to beat on me, till I got tired of it." A small bitter smile graced his lips. "He was my legal father, that put the law on his side. My sister…" Griff's voice trailed off. He jumped up, "Want some more water?" he offered.

"No thanks."

"I could use some." Cooper took the blue ladle and walked through the door, only to be confronted by Plank.

"We got hostages, we could use them. But you lettin em get away with the promise of food we'll never get."

"Get outta my way, Plank." Just as Cooper spoke his name, the crazed convict thrust a knife into his stomach, twisting it as he pulled it out. "Plank, you stupid…" the older man collapsed, falling backwards towards the wooden table. Griff and Ben reached out to slow the man's fall, but it was too late.

Griff lunged at the murderer, three more of Cooper's friends behind him. However, they were all stopped short by Johnny's blade.

"Back, all of you." His eyes gleamed, Griff took one look and knew he was mad.

_Warden's Office_

"Food, blankets, soap, mail, we want the food that the state pays for and we NEVER GET! LIES! Accusations made by murderers." The warden slammed the paper down on the table. Joe snatched it up.

"These can't be lies, my father signed these demands."

"What they ask for is reasonable, give them what they want." Calhoun spoke up.

"Never. These men are prisoners, they are here to be punished."

"How long has it been since you were down there?"

"Well… I'm the administrator, my place is right here."

"Nothing they're asking for shouldn't have been there in the first place."

"I agree with Calhoun." The Sheriff spoke up, "Let's go tell them."

Calhoun and Joe walked down the corridor, and into the room outside the metal doors.

"Calhoun, what do you want?"

"Plank, we are here about the demands. Where's Cooper."

"ha, don't worry about him no more, and we have new demands: horses, guns, grub, and a head start. You tell that scaredy-cat warden of yours, he better be standing here in fifteen minutes or we start killing hostages."

"I'll tell him."

_The Lions Cage_

One of Johnny's friends walked through the room, making sure the other prisoners weren't causing trouble. Once he passed Griff continued to tell the story of Cooper's death to one of his friends.

"Cooper never even seen that knife, it was so quick."

"Cooper didn't count on trouble from just a con. But if one of those hostages dies, we'll all hang."

"Doesn't seem fair. 

"It's the law."

"I'm gonna go see what I can find out."

**AN- Im going to try and update more frequently, but my parent won't let me get on my computer very often because they don't want me shut up in my room. Oh well. **

Reviews:

Fergus- Thank you, and I know right. I wish there were more stories about him.

AureaD- He always did keep a cool head in these situations, thank you for your continued support.

romirola- thank you, I hope you continue to read!

quwelli- Thank you for sticking with this story! I am trying to speed things up so Lissa and Griff will be together soon, and then there's the step-father. Haha, I love mystery.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN- AHHHHH! I havent updated in soooooo long! I'm so ashamed, but ive been cheating on you guys, with my own story *gasp* it belongs to me and everything! Anyway I have also had a bit of writers block, trying to decide how to speed up the process of getting Griff out of jail. I would really not like to have to go on for five more chapters with him still in jail. I hope that this ch. will speed things up a bit. **

_The Wardens Office_

The warden was busy writing a letter to the governor about the prisoners demands when Calhoun and Joe returned.

"Never mind that, Plank's running it now. He's in for robbery but he's a killer."

"Would Cooper let him take over like that?" Candy asked the guard.

"Not when he had a breath left in his body. He want to meet with you," he said, looking at the warden.

"He wants to kill me. They have knives in there, and people who can throw 'em"

"He said fifteen minutes, or they start killing hostages."

_The Guard Room _

Johnny Plank was sitting at the table with Mr. Cartwright and one of his 'friends'.

"Accordin to your fine gold watch, they got eight minutes to show."

Just then Griff walked through the door, "anyone want coffee? There was some on the back of the stove, thought I would offer."

"Kid, Cooper's friend, you wouldn't have any ideas of tryin to get even?" Plank shifted in his chair.

"Cooper's dead, he's not the only friend I've lost in here. A man's gotta take care of himself, I just want to stay alive, and I want to get outa these walls"

Plank still didn't trust him, "If you're lucky, you might make it. Now how about the coffee."

Griff turned away in disgust and grabbed two cups, "Hey, I gotta extra cup, alright if he has some?"

Plank rolled his eyes, "Alright, Pour. Might give him some muscle."

_The Wardens Office_

"…if the prisoners were in the hellbox, the blast wouldn't reach em, but we need someone inside to make sure that they are in there when we blow the door open."

"They didn't see me," offered Candy, "Plank said he would use a hostage as a shield, why couldn't the warden use a prisoner as a shield."

"That might work, but not in those clothes," the sheriff spoke up.

"Well then get me some other clothes."

"There's one other thing we need: a diversion." Joe said.

"How 'bout a riot in cell block 1" the sheriff pointed at a room in the model prison.

"Yes, and I think I know how to get them to do it." Calhoun offered.

"Alright, then let's go," Candy stood.

"Now wait a minute, the prisoners don't trust anybody. We need something more convincing than a change of clothes."

"I know of something, but you sure won't enjoy it."

"What is it?"

Calhoun walked over to a cupboard and pulled a whip from it, "Hizer's favorite persuader."

oOo

Candy gingerly tucked the front of a ratty old shirt into a pair of just as bad looking pants.

"Alright, let's go over the plan once more, there'll be a riot in cell block 1, you'll hear two shots, start counting from there, thirty seconds after, I blow this door open, got it." Joe looked concernedly at the state of his friend.

Calhoun, the sheriff, Joe, and the warden all shuffled to the guard room door, inside, one of Plank's cronies yelled out, "They're comin, and they got a con with em too." Plank tipped his chair over in his haste to get up.

"Cartwright on your feet," he said, brandishing a kitchen knife. "try anything and you're dead!"

Candy unlocked the guard door and swiftly jumped back, Plank came barreling out, pushing Ben in front of him. "Alright, we want twelve horses, six for the hostages, six rifles, six handguns, and they better be loaded. Blankets, grub, ammo, no guards on the walls or in the towers."

"I got it." The warden said shakily.

"Good, you have two hours."

"Two hours! I can't…"

"TWO HOURS! Get movin." Plank turned and shoved Cartwright back into the guard room, and as the door closed, Candy darted inside. He fell to the floor and rolled over on his back as Plank brandished the knife at him, "Who are you, what are you doin?"

Candy assumed the role of the frightened convict, "please please please, don't stick me with that thing, please. T-they p-pulled me out of- of cell block one t-to be a target for the Warden. Please, I heard you're getting out of here, take me with you."

Plank's friend was not so sure, "He's probably a plant."

Ben Cartwright's eyes were wide, and they darted from Candy to Johnny, praying silently that Candy would not be killed.

"You don't look like a con, or smell like one." Plank stepped forward.

"Really, look at this." He took off his shirt, exposing the horrid stripes from the whip.

"He still could be a plant."

Candy shook his head furiously and was about to retort, when Griff stepped from the doorway, where many of the cons were watching. He crouched down next to the man, "Is your name Candy." Candy's jaw dropped a little as he looked at the young man, his eyes narrowed, then widened as he recognized the boy. "Candy."

Ben looked worried as Candy responded, "yeah, yeah, that's right."

"You know him kid?" Plank asked.

"Yeah, in Billings Montana*… we served time together, he was in cell block one when I come in."

Candy breathed a sigh of relief. Griff helped him stand up, and the three men looked at the cuts on his back.

"Hizer stripes," Plank's friend said, "No doubt about that."

"Yeah, and they'll get blood poisonin in them if we don't clean em out." Johnny rolled his eyes at Griff's statement.

"Keep an eye on him, and the door." He told his friend, then he left.

*I will explain the back story to all of that in later chapters.

**AN- GUESS WHAT GUYS! Only one more chapter till Griff gets out! He will most likely leave the prison in the next chapter and finally meet his sister in the next! CANT WAIT!**

Reviews:

Questfan- thank you so much! I too am looking forward to their first meeting in four years.

AureaD- don't worry it will, Im finally on the move here

Romirola- whoever doesn't love Griff has some serious problems!


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